» Bonding, Private

[Nóirín Sheenan]

Nora was in the kitchen, in an attempt to escape the summer heat. Her hair was collected in a messy bun at the back of her head. In days like that, Nora wished she could just cut her hair short like a man. She hated how her head sweated during the summer and then her hair was glued on her neck. At least, being lower class, she did not have to wear as many clothes as the women of the upper class. Her corset was loose and she was just wearing a thin white chemise and a plain skirt made by cotton.

She did not really have anything to do today, so she decided to fix some of her clothes. She was holding a needle and she was trying to fill the holes of some of her socks. Truth to be told, Nora loathed socks during the summer. She loathed clothes generally. If it was proper, she wouldn't mind walking around naked, or at least not in long sleeved chemises and ankle lenght skirts.

[Muireann Sheenan]

Muireann walked into the kitchen, but unlike her sister she loved to have her hair down, even during the summer. Her clothes was white, and proper, but her corset was sitting loose, so she could breath easier and just enjoy her life. "Nora, can I help you?" she asked with a smile, she loved to help Nora, especially when she knew it was something that Nora hated to do.

Muireann didn't mind doing boring stuff, if she knew that it helped someone that she cared about. It had led her to all kinds of trouble in the past, but she couldn't see how something so innocent as filling some holes in socks could give her any problems.

[Nóirín Sheenan]

Nora had almost finished, but she couldn't say no to some help. She nodded to her sister and then she handed her a pair of socks. " Just be careful with the needle." Nora said to her sister and a faded hint of smile appeared on her lips. She could not really smile after her sister's death.

[Muireann Sheenan]

Muireann took the socks and the needle, sat down on a chair and carefully started to fill the holes. "Of course. no need for a blood spot on the socks." she said and just looked at Nora. She also missed their sister, but she knew that they had to get over it, but she couldn't force Nora to get over it now. the faded smile therefore meant a lot to Muireann, she couldn't help but think that it meant that Nora was slowly starting to come over it.

[Nóirín Sheenan]

Nora's smile grew wider at her sister's comment, but she soon became serious again. Even if there were spots on the socks, they could easily make them disappear using magic. Or, their mother could, because they were still too young to use magic legally out of the school.

" Do you have any essays to write?" Nora asked her sister lazily as her fingers worked carefully.

[Muireann Sheenan]

Muireann got a little annoyed over the question, and the needle therefore pierced her skin and a very small drop of blood appeared after she had pulled the hand from the sock. "Auch.. and yes, but I can't write it, I don't understand it." she said with a little voice, hoping silently that Nora would offer her help, so they could get the essays done faster

[Nóirín Sheenan]

Nora raised her eyebrows at Muireann and then she shrugged. " Well, if it's about Transfiguration, I could help you." Nora said to her sister, kind of sure that it was the answer her sister was waiting for. She knew children well enough. Even she used to ask Sib for help that way when they were younger.

[Muireann Sheenan]

Muireann smiled widely. "One of them is. But you could also help me with the others. You are older, I know you can help me." she said, hoping to send some confidence into her sister, mostly without thinking about it, she hoped that Nora would offer to just look at the other essays and then maybe she could point her in the right direction. it would be a little help, and hopefully it would be enough.

[Nóirín Sheenan]

" Well, sure. We could start with the Transfiguration one." Nora suggested to her sister. Transfiguration was her best class and she was confident that she could help her sister with it. She could be helpful with the other subjects, it was an essay for a second year, after all, and what Muireann would have to write about would be something easy.

[Muireann Sheenan]

Muireann quickly put the sock and the needle down on the table and walked quickly to find her school stuff, so they could start on the essays right away, so she still had most of the summer to finish them. she really didn't want to push it to the end of her vacation, even though a small part of her told her to do just that, so she could enjoy the vacation while she still had it.

[Nóirín Sheenan]

While Muireann was searching for her school supplies, Nora searched for the notebook containing her notes from her second year. She never did any notes on her books, because her parents could not afford the books, so the Sheenan re-used books instead. She placed the notebook on the table's kitchen and then she waited for her sister to come.

Once Muireann entered in the kitchen with her needed supplies, Nora took a big breath to prepare herself to help her sister. " What's your essay about?" she asked her sister as she sat down.

[Muireann Sheenan]

Muireann pushed the parchment over to Nora, so she could read what the essay was about, she had written it carefully down the minut the teacher gave it, so she could remember exactly what the teacher had said when she decided to make it, just like she did with all of the written essays she got during school. the problem was, that she for some reason allways seemed to barely manage in school.

[Nóirín Sheenan]

Nora's eyes quickly scanned the paper and she smiled when she finished reading it. " Oh, that will be easy." Nora assured her sister. Second years learnt how to turn animals into inanimate objects.

" First of all, you need to find something similar between those objects. That often has to do with the size, or the colour of even the material of the item." Nora explained to her sister. " Let's take for example the beetle into button charm. What is the similarity between the beetle and the button?"

[Muireann Sheenan]

Muireann closed her eyes and thought about it. Nora maked sense, unlike Professor Beckett did most of the time. "I guess, size and color?" she said hopefully and looked at Nora, she really wanted to be right, but with her luck it was probably wrong.

[Nóirín Sheenan]

" Right." Nora said and gave her sister a smile. " Both the beetle and the button a about this small and they have the similar colour."

" Basically, all you need to write is this. And of course concentration. And imagination. I always belived that magic had to do with imagination. I always try to picture the final product of my spell, and it usually works better that way."